Goodbye sore throat - Was I doing it wrong?

[Parallel]

Hello, fellow vapers. I have a question regarding my first week of vaping and a persistent sore throat. Today marks the 7th day of vaping for me. I am using the iTaste vv 3.0 with iclear 16 clearomizers. A little backstory: I've been a pack a day smoker for about 15 years, and am currently quitting and making the full switch to vaping. (I'm still struggling to give up the morning cig, maybe because it's my weakest moment with the least amount of nicotine in my system.) My first batch of ordered juices were from ECBlend. I had no idea what I was doing when creating them and they all turned out to be horrible in both flavor and throat hit, just not for me. What was most frustrating was the instant sore throat I would develop with every puff.

Now, before it's asked, I believe I am puffing it correctly (not like a cig), and I do not believe it is a PG issue, as I've tried several different blends. I even purchased a backup iTaste, and had the same experience with that one. Additionally, I tried different clearomizers so I wasn't mixing flavors while testing them. Anyhow, not only did my throat hurt, but my lungs hurt a bit too, almost like I was inhaling the vapor but not exhaling a significant matching vapor cloud. I've tried over a dozen flavors (first believing it was a liquid issue), and finally settled on Mr. Miyagi (yum!), but it was still causing sore throat issues. This sore throat didn't last but for 10-15 minutes after vaping, then it would disappear until the next time I vaped. Then, yesterday, something crazy happened... it stopped, cold turkey. NO more sore throat issues. I finally got to experience this awesome flavor, and vaping experience, pain-free! This leads me to believe it was something I was doing with the equipment. But what could it have been? I definitely don't want this issue again.

I kept my liquids full to ensure the wicks were always coated. I even made sure to rotate it when I would lay down the device, so it wasn't on one side too long. I wonder if I was overfilling it? Sometimes I would get just above the little 1.6ml line. I also wonder if I wasn't being careful enough when filling it. Could I have gotten it on the middle insert (sorry, unfamiliar with the terminology still). Could this cause a bad/rough hit and sore throat?

I also want to add that the device is gurgling much less (not really much at all anymore!) and seems to be a much smoother vaping experience now. And, I am producing much more vapor/smoke on exhale!

It is SO nice to be finally enjoying the experience without that dang sore throat, but I still want to know what could have caused it so it doesn't happen again. Any feedback is appreciated

 

[SoCalMichelle]

I've had the same problem. It seems to be something everyone experiences when getting off real cigs. Also a lack of dhydration. Lots of water.

 

[Blkwdw86]

It's usually either nicotine or PG sensitivity that causes the throat irritation.

If you're using a high nicotine load (18mg, 24mg, etc.), it can cause irritation. If you're not making your own juice, you're at the mercy of accepting that the actual load of nicotine in your juice is what the label says it is. Occasionally, it's not.

With PG sensitivity, you can order juices that have lower PG ratios or none at all for a total VG juice. You can request this when you order, or again, make your own.

My personal opinion, you're experiencing well-documented irritations common to the freshly-quit. As you've noted, they'll improve over time.

 

[MattyT]

Don't be to quick to think that you have a sensitivity to PG. If you were to break down PG into its chemical makeup, It has a double alcohol compound which is why your throat will get dry and sore. Drinking more liquids is pretty much a necessity when vaping, especially in the beginning, until you more or less build up a better tolerance.

 

[Jak0691]

I can't say what you were doing wrong, but I can say that you aren't alone. When I first started vaping my throat would get sore too. I think for me it was just switching to the vaporizer over cigs. Its stopped now though. Hopefully it doesn't come back to you. Good luck!!

 

[Splatnext]

Drinking more liquids is pretty much a necessity when vaping, especially in the beginning, until you more or less build up a better tolerance.

Wherever this question pops up in the forums the above answer will crop up, I was very glad to listen to it when my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth after I started back up vaping a month ago.

 

[RedNBlack]

Don't be to quick to think that you have a sensitivity to PG. If you were to break down PG into its chemical makeup, It has a double alcohol compound which is why your throat will get dry and sore. Drinking more liquids is pretty much a necessity when vaping, especially in the beginning, until you more or less build up a better tolerance.

Hey Parallel, hydrate, hydrate,hydrate....the PG/VG is going to dry you out. First place I noticed it was in my throught, tounge, then the sinuses. Even now if I do not stay on top of my hydration, it shows back up.

 

[Thunderball]

+ 1 on all the above answers. Its something we all went through. For me it was both dehydration and the 24 nic I was vaping more and more of. I had to back off the nic percentage for mine to go away. It was on and off for me for about 4 months until I lowered my nic. I went from 24 to 18....and most of it went away....almost. Whe I got down to 14 nic, it never happened again. My story anyway. We are all a bit different.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

I also want to add that the device is gurgling much less (not really much at all anymore!) and seems to be a much smoother vaping experience now. And, I am producing much more vapor/smoke on exhale!

Could also be that you were inhaling a fine mist (aside from the vapor) of juice which would definitely burn the throat.
Drinking lottsa water is a must.

 

[WarHawk-AVG]

could be your body getting used to something new, how often did you inhale warmed vapor with regularity?

 

[Parallel]

Thank you for the replies! My throat is still feeling better but I've also been drinking tons of water!

Oh, and Warhawk, I wouldn't say it's been excessive. I barely fill my 1.6ml clearo more than once a day... For now, lol

 

[nmackan]

My friend you are the first I suggest to lower your nic level. I suggest you get plain glycerine (used in Food industry type) add some to clearo until your throat is not sore at all.
Well, you need water not only for dehidration but to enable your system to get rid of toxins from your body.
Go with it
Happy vapings

 

[amy_h_26]

Glad I found this thread, my throat is killing me! Im already at 18 nic and jones pretty bad in the am, and already use 40%pg/60%vg, So i guess its gotta be dehydration, but Ive been vaping for over a month now and this has just set in. I already drink a TON of gatorade everyday, so maybe Ive just gotta ride this out. bummer.

 

[littleconvertible]

In my experience I have to agree with everyone else. My throat was so sore I was sure I had the flu when I started vaping. I am almost certain it had nothing to do with the nic level because I started out at 5 mg and am still there. Once I made a conscious effort to drink plenty of water, no more sore throat. I drink at least a bottle of water for every hour I vape.

Funny it used to be coffee and a cigeratte that was my "let your hair down and relax" combo and now it's bottled water and a tank full of grandmaster, or creme brulee, or peaches and cream or...you get the idea.

 

[bohrddude]

Funny, I never had much burning or coughing when I first started vaping (which was only about three weeks back), except with the first couple of puffs, but then a few days after I'd started I began getting these sudden, intense coughing fits totally out of the blue. At the time it occurred to me that it might well be the vaping that was causing them, but then they went away, so I thought maybe it was an infection or something related to the weather turning cold. Maybe not.

 

[JohnQPublic]

I don't have a sore throat, but I do have a hoarse voice for 6 straight months. I've done 80/20, 70/30, 50/50. I don't want to go higher VG than 50/50, as it will choke my tanks. What to do.


pee ess - I've worked my way down to 6mg of nic and drink lots of fluids.

 

[mkbilbo]

Hello, fellow vapers. I have a question regarding my first week of vaping and a persistent sore throat. Today marks the 7th day of vaping for me. I am using the iTaste vv 3.0 with iclear 16 clearomizers. A little backstory: I've been a pack a day smoker for about 15 years, and am currently quitting and making the full switch to vaping. (I'm still struggling to give up the morning cig, maybe because it's my weakest moment with the least amount of nicotine in my system.)

Took me a while to kill off that one too. I didn't pressure myself on it. Just kept emphasizing the vaping and moving the remaining cigs to less convenient spots. Like keeping only one pack around, putting the ashtray and lighters and pack away in the kitchen. Making the vaping convenient, the smoking less and less so.

Then, one morning, the thought of a cig first thing seem vile and that was that.

Some folks walk away from the cigs day one. Some of us take longer. I took a good six weeks to come to a total stop with the smoking. I kept slowing down and down and down until I started forgetting to have one at all.

Then, yesterday, something crazy happened... it stopped, cold turkey. NO more sore throat issues. I finally got to experience this awesome flavor, and vaping experience, pain-free! This leads me to believe it was something I was doing with the equipment. But what could it have been? I definitely don't want this issue again.

You may not have been doing anything wrong at all. Quitting smoking has a truckload of "side effects". The vaping may not have been causing anything. They switch from the 4,000 (plus?) chemicals in tobacco smoke may have been messing with you. A sore throat is not unusual among people who quit smoking by any and every method. Cold and flu symptoms are not unusual. There are tons of others. You can Google "quitting smoking side effects" and similar to find lists and discussions. Of course, they blame the nicotine for just about everything but vapers get the nic. I think the anti-smoking crowd glosses over all the other chemicals in tobacco smoke.

Or it was coincidence. Vaping doesn't mean you'll never get sick ever again.

If it's not chronic, just something that happened a while then went away, I don't know I'd worry about it. Leaving those 4,000 other chemicals behind is a big change. Your body has some adjusting to do. The early period can sometimes get a bit weird.

Heh, some folks--myself included--have weird dreams for a while. That one was... unexpected. I had some awful, awful nightmares for a while. Fortunately, they didn't stick around. I'd forget them pretty much soon as I was up. I'd just have this lingering feeling of, "What was THAT about?"

 

[kraehe]

Moin,

you might want to change the way vape. Cigarettes work best when inhaled deep, and kept in the lung. But vaping on lung makes no sense, as the lung has taste nerves. So switch from smoking deep to the lung, to vaping into mouth and exhale with the nose. This will give you a better taste, and less throat etching. Do not vape like you pull on a cigarette, but puff like on a cigar or pipe.

ciao,Michael